Patrick Reed likes his chances in Masters debut

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Rory McIlroy couldn’t resist taking a good-natured jab at Patrick Reed. They played a few holes together during Tuesday’s practice round, and then later McIlroy was asked about his pairing alongside Reed and Jordan Spieth in the first two rounds of this week’s Masters.

“Yeah, there’s going to be no top-five players in that group,” McIlroy said, sparking laughter in the interview room.

Fair or not, this is Reed’s signature as he prepares for his Masters debut. He has won three PGA Tour events in the past eight months – an impressive feat at any age, let alone 23 – but he’s known more for his television interview after last month’s victory at Doral, where he boldly declared himself one of the world’s top five players.

It seemed like an audacious proclamation for a young golfer who hadn’t even made a major championship start. Reed will get his first taste of the grand stage Thursday at 10:52 a.m. (EDT), when he meets McIlroy and Spieth on the No. 1 tee at Augusta National.

Not surprisingly, Reed exuded confidence in his maiden press conference this week in Augusta. He was asked about his top-five quote, naturally, and he didn’t back down one bit.

“I believe in my comments,” said Reed, who officially stands No. 23 in the world ranking. “I’m just going to keep controlling what I can control, keep trying to play really good and consistent golf, and hopefully by the end of the day I get to that point.

“I’m very confident. I try to treat this like it’s just another event … because if you start throwing stuff out of proportion, then you start getting the nerves up and you start doubting yourself and things start going south.”

Reed clearly is headed north in the wake of wins last August at the Wyndham Championship, in January at the Humana Challenge and in March at the Cadillac Championship. He trumped an elite field in the last of those victories, holding off Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson, among others.

Now Reed is trying to become the first Masters rookie since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 to slip his arms into a green jacket. At least Reed brings some familiarity with Augusta National, from his college days at nearby Augusta State.

He played the course three times as an amateur before making his first visit as a pro for a practice round Saturday. Reed also attended the Masters twice as a spectator while in college.

So he’s comfortable on the storied grounds, even if he’s still trying to convince himself this is all really happening.

“When I was real young, all I ever dreamed about was playing at Augusta for a green jacket,” Reed said. “To be here as a professional playing my first Masters, it feels like I’m still in a dream.”

Asked about his drive down Magnolia Lane this past weekend, he said, “It was amazing. I wanted to go into reverse and do it again, but I had to keep going so I could get out there and practice.”